This proposal is for a conference on the efficacy and the impact of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) on patients with a range of psychiatric disorders. An Ad Hoc Committee of experts in the field of psychiatry,$ psychology and neurophysiology has been assembled to collaborate with the staff of the Clinical Research Branch of the National Institute of Mental Health in developing this conference. The conference is intended to be a followup to the Psychobiology of Convulsive Therapy Conference sponsored by NIMH in 1972. The main objectives of the conference are to assess the current evidence on the specificity and the effectiveness of this treatment modality and to evaluate its immediate and long term impact on the neurophysiological and psychological functioning of the psychiatric patient. A consideration of the ethical issues, the "risk benefit" ratio of administering this treatment vis a vis other psychiatric treatments, e.g., in lieu of drugs, and the generation of a set of recommendations, both in the clinical and research spheres, for the future are also on the agenda. The urgency of such a conference is underlined by pressures from the scientific and clinical communities. It is the overall goal of this conference to assess the situation in as scientifically objective a framework as possible. There will also be opportunity for input from the lay community. The conference is planned for some time in early 1977. Prior to the conference a number of small study groups will be appointed to review the current state of the art of ECT use and to formulate papers and recommendations for the proposed conference.